The PQ wants the cancellation of the salary increases of the executive officers of Crown corporations

Photo Simon Clark
The leader of the Parti québécois, Jean-François Lisée

Nicolas Lachance

Thursday, march 15, 2018 14:09

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Thursday, march 15, 2018 14:09

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Jean-François Lisée demands that the leaders of Hydro-Québec and the Caisse de dépôt et placement cancel out their wage increases “scandalous”.

• READ ALSO : The CEO of Hydro-Québec defends its pay rise of 26 %

The Parti québécois (PQ) has filed a motion before the national Assembly, demanding the withdrawal increases of 26 % and 75 % for the senior executives of Hydro-Québec and the Caisse de dépôt placement.

“It does not make sense. It does not call into question the competence of these people-there, we do not question that the salaries must be reasonably high. But, they worked for Quebec and the year before, with 26 % and 75 % money less. They have not threatened to go away”, has pestered the leader of the PQ, criticizing the increase in income inequality.

Calling for leaders to “reconsider their decision”, Jean-François Lisée proposed that future increases be “very modest.”

“These people are already very well paid. There has never been a difficulty in finding a president of the Fund and president of Hydro-Québec”, he mentioned.

Let us recall that this week the CEO of Hydro-Québec, Éric Martel, saw his total remuneration rising by 26 % in 2017, rising to 815 466 $. And then, since 2013, the average increase in employees of the québec deposit and investment Fund increased from 182 600 $ 319 100 $. “It increases the remuneration in a disgraceful manner (…) We think that too much income disparity that harms our society.”

Best talent

In the Room, the minister of Energy and natural Resources, Pierre Moreau, has continued to hammer that Hydro-Québec is the largest of the State companies the government of Quebec and to ensure his or her direction “she has to be able to attract the best talent”.

“I said yesterday (Wednesday) that the remuneration of the chairman and chief executive officer of Hydro-Québec is the lowest when a comparison is made elsewhere in Canada in the public sector or in the private sector,” said Mr. Moreau.

The leader of the PQ argues that it is “a humbug”. “This has never happened that a president of the Caisse or of Hydro-Québec to be hired by another large company abroad because the salary was not sufficient”, he said.